Tennessee coach Derek Dooley talks Alabama football, Nick Saban

AP Photo/Lisa Norman-HudsonTennessee coach Derek Dooley looks at the clock in the final seconds of a NCAA college football game against, Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Alabama won 41-10.

* On Alabama: "...this is (Nick Saban's) fifth year, it's his best team. Probably as physically a dominating a defense as I've seen in the modern era of football. I know that's a strong statement but i believe it.

"You catch yourself watching them and not studying them."

* On if he remembers Alabama's 1992 defense: "I went to the Sugar Bowl when they played Miami, that was the Bill Oliver defense. I didn't study that one the way i do this one.

"You see probably prototype speed and athleticism at every position, that's No. 1. You see experience. They're all back from last year, all 11 guys are juniors or seniors. You're not going to fool them. There's no play that's going to get them.

"Of course the scheme is very good. I just think their mentality, when they go to hit you they don't go to tackle you, they go to punish you. I know it's still halfway through the season and a lot can happen, some teams might be able to go out there and really hurt them, but at this point they're really good."

* Is Trent Richardson as good as Herschel Walker was?: "First of all, when you look at (Richardson) he's physically imposing. He's thick. You look at his legs, he's been gifted physically. He's got an ability to play low-to-high, so he's always playing with power. He's always playing square to the goal line even though he's moving right-to-left. He's really good, he's a good football player."

* On Nick Saban's teams year-after-year: "He's evolved every year a little bit schematically, but the core of what he does hasn't changed. He's evolved vastly from where he was 10 years ago, big time. Especially with all the 3-4 stuff that he did. He didn't do any of that really at LSU.

"He went to the Dolphins, so the two years in the NFL he changed quite a bit. So a lot more flexibility in his defenses but the basic principles are the same. He's going to stop the run and he's going to play very aggressive, deny the ball defense in the back end. Make you try to generate some big plays by throwing over his head, but knowing that if you do that you're at risk of getting the quarterback splattered. The one thing that's been consistent is since about '02, a lot of good talented football players."

* On Saban's role on offense: "More philosophical. I can't speak for what he's doing at Alabama. It's philosophical and he knows what he wants. He knows what he wants his offenses to look like. He's always going to be multiple, so the defenses can work on it. We sort of believe the same things from that standpoint. He's always going to have a physical running game. Philosophy and situational is what his involvement is."